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ATVM tickets to be ‘facilitated’ at Western Railway stations

There are 115 ATVMs between Churchgate and Virar. Facilitators will now be hired to operate these machines and issue tickets.

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You may no longer have to wait in serpentine queues outside ticket windows at the Western Railway stations.

The Western Railway will soon employ officials to issue tickets using the Automated Ticket Vending Machines (ATVMs), a method that will be faster than the manual issuing of tickets.

There are 115 ATVMs between Churchgate and Virar. Facilitators will now be hired to operate these machines and issue tickets.

A senior Western Railway official said the application inviting those who want to work as facilitators for issuing tickets, had been released a few days ago.

“Though we have not kept a bar on the number of persons who can work voluntarily as facilitators, we are expecting to employ a minimum of 60 facilitators at 28 stations between Churchgate and Virar,” said the official. Five have already come onboard on a trial basis a week ago.

If a working railway employee works as a facilitator, he would issue a minimum of 200 tickets a day for at least 15 days a month. Those voluntarily opting for the work will have to issue 400 tickets a day for 20 days a month. Their performance will also be monitored on a monthly basis.

To avoid excess commercialisation, there will be a limit of 5% profit for railway employees for the work.

ATVM card holders will be given priority even if the facilitators are issuing tickets to others.

Sharat Chandrayan, chief spokesperson of Western Railway, said the facilitator scheme will help commuters cut down on the long time taken at the conventional ticketing windows as the ATVMs issue tickets much faster.

“We have got a clearance from the Railway Board for introducing the scheme. It will help reduce the long queues outside ticketing windows at some of the most patronised stations as the facilitators will issue tickets using ATVMs, which are quicker,” he added.

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